Papaya really RULES, McLaren's 26 Year Wait Ends🏆2024 Abu Dhabi GP Review

[00:00:18] And at last, the season has come to an end. Here's to hoping that 2025 is not a different year, just 2025, rather 2024 version B. Because after a year like this, you just don't want the season to end. But what have we got? McLaren, look at the journey, look at where they have come from in the last 10 years.

[00:00:41] From having a car with no sponsors, from having Fernando Alonso publicly chastise the team, from having multiple engine issues and multiple engine suppliers, to a change in technical structure, to reinvestment in the team with them almost going bankrupt. Within 10 years, McLaren went from the bottom and now are constructors, world champions. There cannot be a bigger story than that, Kunal.

[00:01:09] Well, there isn't a bigger story than that. And the way they've done it is what sort of stands out. If we go back literally, you know, 40 races ago. And remember, 40 races is not a lot of time in Formula 1. It's less than two full seasons. At the start of last year, they were really out of sorts.

[00:01:29] They brought the upgrade mid-season in Austria. And they continued bringing upgrades all the way throughout.

[00:01:37] But, you know, that Austria upgrade last year and the Miami upgrade this year has brought them into so much contention that eventually has given them this constructors championship win after 25, 26 years, if my number is right.

[00:01:54] And Andrea Stella, you know, you showed the math of Alonso and then the victory that we are seeing today.

[00:02:02] Andrea Stella actually joined McLaren back in that time.

[00:02:05] Okay. Andrea Stella, there we go. He came from Ferrari. He was Fernando Alonso's race engineer.

[00:02:10] I think he was the one who, his race engineer when Alonso lost the 2010 Drivers Championship.

[00:02:17] Stella has, of course, gone to McLaren, slowest team, slowest car, no engine.

[00:02:22] And one by one, one by one, when he was given the team principal mandate a couple of seasons ago, he put his pieces together.

[00:02:29] And that has resulted in a beautiful world championship win for McLaren.

[00:02:35] And I also think for Formula 1 to not see a Red Bull or a Mercedes take win because that's what Red Bull and Mercedes have been doing since 14 years now.

[00:02:44] Yeah, isn't that the number Sundaram? 14 years of dominance now finally broken.

[00:02:49] And we've been crying for McLaren versus Ferrari. Now that it's happened, I don't think we're appreciating the moment enough.

[00:02:55] Of course, it's been 14 years since any other team apart from a Red Bull and a Mercedes has won the constructors title or any title for that matter.

[00:03:04] And yesterday when they finally won the title, it was not a case of the result, which is eventually the constructors title, but the journey like we've just discussed.

[00:03:13] And for each of them, I think Lando, Oscar, Zach and Andrea Stella, they've all come through some very different journeys and some very low lows.

[00:03:23] And it's ultimately a case of so much of loyalty and belief because we've said 26 years since their last title.

[00:03:30] You know how much McLaren has gone through then?

[00:03:32] 2005, they arguably had the quickest car on the grid and they had the quickest driver in that cockpit itself, Kimi Raikkonen.

[00:03:39] He was supposed to win that title, but due to reliability issues, they lost a hold on the championship.

[00:03:45] 2007, we don't need to really go there.

[00:03:48] Fernando Alonso, Hamilton, one of the most bitter rivalries between teammates.

[00:03:53] There was also the espionage scandal.

[00:03:56] There was also, they got disqualified.

[00:03:59] They got disqualified from the championship.

[00:04:01] They had 100 million fine on them.

[00:04:03] And literally, it's a very shameful period for McLaren at that point.

[00:04:11] And 2015, they moved to Honda.

[00:04:14] They finished 9th that year.

[00:04:17] 2017, they finished 9th that year.

[00:04:19] I came out with a stat saying that Lewis Hamilton has had only 14 DNFs during his 12 years with Mercedes.

[00:04:25] McLaren had 16 DNFs in 2017 alone.

[00:04:29] And when Lando Norris came into that team, there was no belief or there was no proof that they could win a title.

[00:04:36] When Oscar Piastri came from Alpine, and like Kunal said, the first couple of races last year, it felt like he had made the wrong decision.

[00:04:45] But then everything just came together over these last 40 races.

[00:04:50] And all of them and the hundreds and thousands of people that have worked behind the scenes, it's all worked together.

[00:04:57] And it's been a very, very long journey for them.

[00:04:59] And Lando Norris actually rejected Red Bull Racing's offer to join them.

[00:05:03] He was meant to be Max Verstappen's teammate.

[00:05:06] Helmut Marko revealed this to us on the Inside Line F1 podcast itself.

[00:05:09] And he said, we offered a contract.

[00:05:11] Norris eventually didn't go through.

[00:05:13] And Norris then went on to the media and said, I want to win a championship with McLaren.

[00:05:19] This came from a driver who at that point only had a couple of podiums, one pole position, no race wins.

[00:05:24] And we were all saying, what?

[00:05:26] Why?

[00:05:26] What's the project looking like?

[00:05:28] We're so far away.

[00:05:29] Go to a team that can win and win it.

[00:05:31] But he stuck around.

[00:05:32] And that patience, that love, that loyalty, that support, it's resulting in something so beautiful.

[00:05:38] And also, Zac Browncanal, when he walked in, the bullish American CEO type, not really a proper technical person, someone more on the commercial side.

[00:05:48] The way he's transformed McLaren.

[00:05:50] I mean, this photo, right, of Fernando Alonso stepping out of his 2017 McLaren.

[00:05:55] Look at how empty and dry that car looks.

[00:05:57] Today, the McLaren car is filled with sponsors even on the rims.

[00:06:02] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:06:04] The famous Google Chrome, you know, wheel rims that they've got.

[00:06:08] And, you know, credit has to be given where it's due.

[00:06:11] Zac Brown did all the building, the restructuring.

[00:06:15] He is where the buck stops in McLaren.

[00:06:18] He elevated Andrea Stella to the team, you know, technical director role after James Key left.

[00:06:23] And they don't have a headline designer, as most people would remember.

[00:06:30] Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing.

[00:06:32] He has beaten.

[00:06:33] And when I say he, I mean, Zac Brown led, Andrea Stella led, McLaren have beaten Adrian Newey in this ground effect era of Formula One.

[00:06:45] And, yes, Jaco Perez hasn't scored.

[00:06:48] Red Bull has had their issues internal with the car, etc., etc.

[00:06:52] But to beat Adrian Newey, because when you beat the constructors, you're beating the team.

[00:06:57] You're not beating a driver.

[00:06:58] Okay.

[00:06:59] We will celebrate Norris a little more or Oscar Piastri a little more should they end up beating Max Verstappen next year.

[00:07:06] Mind you, Lando Norris has put himself out there publicly after winning the race.

[00:07:10] Next year is mine.

[00:07:11] Next year's target is to win the constructors and the drivers.

[00:07:15] So he's put on that pressure on him already through the offseason.

[00:07:17] And I think that's fantastic.

[00:07:19] You know, when you have a bit of pressure, when you have a bit of ambition and direction, you wake up every day wanting to chase it.

[00:07:25] But hats off to McLaren for pulling it off.

[00:07:29] They needed a perfect race result.

[00:07:31] They almost had it till Max Verstappen spun Oscar Piastri.

[00:07:35] The question should be asked, with that car they had, should the battle have even gone down to the wire?

[00:07:41] Should they have wrapped it up a couple of races ago?

[00:07:43] And this is where I know, Sundaram, one of your most stolen stat is what we should pull out, which is where Sundaram actually split the entire season into four quarters.

[00:07:55] Right. I mean, if it's a quarter, it's four times, but he's put it in four quarters and only to show which team has actually scored the most in each quarter.

[00:08:05] And McLaren have done the highest, most consistent scoring across all quarters, I would say.

[00:08:12] But crucially, they won it in the middle two quarters from race seven, from Imola till race 18 Singapore, when they outscored everyone else drastically, I would say.

[00:08:25] Yeah, that's where they lost it. That's where Ferrari lost it. That one upgrade.

[00:08:29] That is where the entire ballgame changed for them.

[00:08:33] That, if that Spanish GP upgrade would have worked, we would have been here celebrating a Ferrari win.

[00:08:38] And I don't know, we would have all been in red, popping those party balloons or whatever it might be.

[00:08:42] We would all be drunk as hell. We wouldn't record this episode because it's Ferrari winning a championship.

[00:08:47] But that one upgrade has changed everything.

[00:08:49] I thought you'd say we'll all sit here with a pizza celebrating Ferrari since it's an Italian team win with a wine or something.

[00:08:54] But okay.

[00:08:56] No, it would be a Monday morning, right?

[00:08:57] So the after effects of all the wine would mean that we'd probably be lying on our bed flat.

[00:09:02] So we wouldn't know much of what's going on.

[00:09:05] But it's a testament to the budget, Captain, that I might say.

[00:09:07] That upgrades, every single one of them matters.

[00:09:11] Correlation matters.

[00:09:13] Success is not a guarantee.

[00:09:14] Wind tunnel time is also decreasing.

[00:09:16] And nobody knows if McLaren can hold on to it next year because of how well these regulations have put things up now for Formula One.

[00:09:24] I absolutely love it that you brought the budget cap because a lot of it really depends on that.

[00:09:29] Because this is now 2005 or the early 2000s where Ferrari was literally dumping in millions, hundreds of millions of dollars doing a lot of testing at the Fiorano track.

[00:09:39] They literally had a whole roster of reserve drivers or test drivers who would try and improve that car weekend every single week.

[00:09:47] And it's impressive to see that now everyone has to work just with very small budgets.

[00:09:53] And they are able to use all those resources as well.

[00:09:56] I mean, you've seen how much Williams have had to struggle with spare parts and budget as well.

[00:10:01] So it's almost a level playing field.

[00:10:04] And, you know, it takes me back to 2014 when Ron Dennis mentioned that the reason they moved from McLaren Mercedes to McLaren Honda is because that a customer team will not be able to win in the current engine regulations.

[00:10:23] And then diving deeper into that, what he basically meant is the team needs to be given the priority to be able to have the engine kind of developed or built around the chassis, around what their aero philosophy is.

[00:10:38] And when you're a works team, that's usually the sort of priority you will get.

[00:10:44] And that's one of the reasons why they moved to McLaren Honda.

[00:10:47] And we know how that partnership ended.

[00:10:49] But then it's ironic that they came back to McLaren Mercedes.

[00:10:52] And it's that very team that kind of beat that notion that you can win with a customer team.

[00:10:59] And McLaren is now the first customer team since Red Bull Renault in 2011 to win the Constructors title.

[00:11:05] Wait, one second. Not 2013? Because that would have been also Red Bull Renault, right?

[00:11:11] I think they had already moved to Lotus by then.

[00:11:15] So 2011 was the last time if I remember Renault was on the grid.

[00:11:19] They were the… Would that be a proper works team then if Renault were the suppliers and Red Bull were the shareholders?

[00:11:26] But I get your point because they were the sole people supplying the engines, right?

[00:11:29] Yeah.

[00:11:30] But I'd say we need to say congratulations to Formula One, Kunal, for this result.

[00:11:35] Because 14 years of dominance has finally come to an end.

[00:11:38] And it can show that… It basically shows that with the right setup and with the right operations, anyone can win.

[00:11:45] And this could very well have been a Ferrari World Championship.

[00:11:48] It could. And my mind goes back to two things.

[00:11:51] When Carlos Sainz and Checo Perez had their crash in Baku, it could have changed the trajectory of the World Championship.

[00:11:59] But even more, I think, you know, this season…

[00:12:03] And I have now so many thoughts that I've got to say it slowly.

[00:12:06] This season was defined by those fine margins.

[00:12:09] It was that one race result that cost you a big position in the championship.

[00:12:15] Or it was that one upgrade that didn't fire.

[00:12:17] Or one safety car that didn't work out your way.

[00:12:21] Or a yellow flag that came out at the wrong time.

[00:12:23] When you sit back and like, oh, it was just that race.

[00:12:25] Oh, it was just that result.

[00:12:27] And I think largely Ferrari lost this championship between Monaco and Monza.

[00:12:34] Okay.

[00:12:34] They had such a bad run of results between the highest and the lowest downforce of circuits.

[00:12:40] And everything else in the middle was completely haywire, which is where you also rightly mentioned about the Spanish GP upgrade and various things.

[00:12:47] And to me, yes, we would have been celebrating a Ferrari win, but they haven't won.

[00:12:52] And, you know, Charles Leclerc was so upset despite driving one of the most incredible recovery drives we've ever seen in a Ferrari do it.

[00:13:01] Let me tell you, we've seen recovery drives in Red Bull.

[00:13:04] We've seen recovery drives in Mercedes.

[00:13:06] But I can't remember when last we saw a recovery drive in a Ferrari.

[00:13:10] Okay.

[00:13:10] Despite them being who they are, to see that recovery drive, I think was fantastic.

[00:13:14] So, to me, you know, I really hope it's not a 2025 Formula One season, but more a 2024 version two.

[00:13:26] Because we need this momentum to continue before we hit reset in 2026.

[00:13:33] We need such unpredictability to be there.

[00:13:36] We need such awesome competition to be there throughout, I think, even the off-season.

[00:13:45] Can we just have a few races in the off-season, given everyone's literally going to end up missing Formula One from next Sunday?

[00:13:51] Like a rookie sprint race, you mean?

[00:13:53] There are post-season tests, but no prizes, no broadcast of the post-season test, apart from some driver interviews you'll get to hear on social media.

[00:14:02] But what a bloody win.

[00:14:04] I mean, McLaren and Ferrari gunning for it.

[00:14:07] Ferrari needed, you know, two cars on the podium.

[00:14:09] They got two cars on the podium.

[00:14:11] And, you know, just a culmination of all of it.

[00:14:14] You know, Pierre Gasly needed to get a score ahead of Nico Halkenberg.

[00:14:18] But, hey, Nico Halkenberg put it in fourth place.

[00:14:20] Again, finer margins decided that P6 in the championship.

[00:14:26] And I think it was just one of those, such an incredible race.

[00:14:30] Everyone was getting emotional.

[00:14:32] Yeah, there you go.

[00:14:33] Yeah.

[00:14:33] I love that picture of Nico Halkenberg.

[00:14:35] It's the good old, you know, suit on the parts of his face where, you know, the ballet clover doesn't cover him.

[00:14:43] He's wonderful, right?

[00:14:44] It's just a good old way of how we remember Formula One to be.

[00:14:48] But, wow.

[00:14:50] I don't know how we're going to handle the offseason, guys.

[00:14:52] Maybe we just need to have an offline meet with all our listeners and followers and viewers early in January to start celebrating 2025 already and build up the anticipation.

[00:15:04] You know, celebrating this year is a very good point.

[00:15:07] Because, guys, before we move to Lewis Hamilton, we need to touch base upon what we, as the Inside Line F1 podcast, have achieved in the last year.

[00:15:15] I mean, one of our key goals, and we rarely share this, right?

[00:15:19] We rarely talk about why we're doing this or what we are in this for.

[00:15:23] Kunal was already in the sport when we all joined the podcast.

[00:15:25] I joined in 2020, Sundaram in 2021.

[00:15:29] Our goal was just to be like him in a way, right?

[00:15:32] To try to get to work in Formula One, make a living off it, make it your passion, make it your life.

[00:15:37] And for the first time, we can very proudly say, and I look at the Grinat Kunal's face and I feel so happy about it.

[00:15:44] We all have worked on Formula One this year.

[00:15:48] All three of us.

[00:15:52] There were times where all of us were on TV on the same weekend.

[00:15:56] Sundaram and I with the Indian Racing League, Kunal on the Formula One broadcasts in Norway.

[00:16:00] And then in the last race of the season...

[00:16:03] Sundaram, do you want to share the news about who has sent you an email or what's going on there?

[00:16:08] No, no, no one sent me an email as yet.

[00:16:11] But that's the thing.

[00:16:13] So last year, we all made our debuts on live broadcast in the same season.

[00:16:19] I'm sure you guys have already done it before me.

[00:16:20] But then I was also there on live broadcast on live television last year.

[00:16:24] That was one milestone for us in 2023.

[00:16:27] But this year, all of us have worked in Formula One.

[00:16:30] All of us have been on the live broadcast together in some championship or the other.

[00:16:34] So yeah, step by step, you're there.

[00:16:37] And I'm sure 2025 is going to be even bigger.

[00:16:40] You know, the joy of working with you jokers.

[00:16:42] And I'm saying jokers now for a reason.

[00:16:44] It's because y'all are being very modest and humble.

[00:16:46] I have to put it out there myself.

[00:16:49] So firstly, when Sundaram and Samuel joined forces with me on the inside line,

[00:16:54] the plan was, wow, you guys are doing great in your fields.

[00:16:57] Whether it's Samuel with his wonderful commentary,

[00:16:59] whether it's Sundaram with his stats, which...

[00:17:02] I wasn't doing stats.

[00:17:03] I was just winning quiz.

[00:17:05] You were the Lewis of the quizzes, by the way.

[00:17:08] And then I said, can we just get together, put some momentum in what's happening?

[00:17:13] Because the larger world, the world at large,

[00:17:16] the audiences need to see your work,

[00:17:18] not just limited parts of, you know,

[00:17:20] where you sort of end up projecting your work.

[00:17:23] And that was the mission.

[00:17:24] So it gives me a lot of joy.

[00:17:25] And I'll tell you why I called y'all jokers.

[00:17:27] I haven't backed that up.

[00:17:28] So Samuel was the voice of Formula One in India,

[00:17:31] in Hindi on fan code, the official broadcaster for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

[00:17:36] So he has now directly lent his voice to an official broadcast of Formula One.

[00:17:42] And I think Samuel, you deserve a round of applause.

[00:17:46] Thank you.

[00:17:47] Thank you.

[00:17:47] And as for Sundaram, he has had two stats,

[00:17:52] which have gone on to become the most stolen stats.

[00:17:56] Over the weekend of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

[00:17:58] First one, we just put up 24 races, split six races, you know, into four quarters.

[00:18:04] And that's how it's come.

[00:18:05] So the other stat is the one which you're probably seeing with his name and number

[00:18:10] and whatever all removed because it's so easy to crop.

[00:18:12] Because I can't reveal more about Sundaram,

[00:18:15] but we should go and look into that stat,

[00:18:18] that the coincidence between 2012 and 2024 that you found Sundaram.

[00:18:24] Why don't you just lay it on us?

[00:18:25] So people respect me a little more for calling you a joker on the broadcast.

[00:18:31] Yeah, so this is basically...

[00:18:33] So last night I decided that I will find all my stats and head to bed by one o'clock

[00:18:39] so I can wake up and do my work today.

[00:18:41] But then something just reminded me that,

[00:18:42] hey, this is Lewis's last race with Mercedes.

[00:18:45] Let's kind of look and see if there are any parallels that I can draw

[00:18:48] between his last race with McLaren.

[00:18:49] And I realized that Jenson Button, a British McLaren driver, had won the race.

[00:18:55] Fernando Alonso, a Spaniard in a Ferrari won.

[00:18:58] This time it was Carlos Sainz.

[00:18:59] And then the other Ferrari finished the podium.

[00:19:02] So back then it was Massa and this time it was Charles Leclerc.

[00:19:06] And then it kind of dawned on me that the Red Bull multiple-time world champion

[00:19:12] spun in both races on the opening lap after coming together with some other driver.

[00:19:17] And they made a big recovery drive exactly to P6.

[00:19:23] And one driver in specific retired from both races on the opening lap.

[00:19:26] Checo Perez.

[00:19:28] And I didn't think much about this stat.

[00:19:30] I didn't think much about this stat.

[00:19:32] But supposedly it's done millions of millions of views already.

[00:19:35] A lot of people have been messaging me.

[00:19:39] And I've had a couple of, I would say, fairly prominent people follow me as well on social media.

[00:19:45] So yeah, the sort of stats that I think...

[00:19:47] You've got to name one person.

[00:19:48] You've got to name one.

[00:19:49] We can't even go publicly see the list.

[00:19:51] But yeah.

[00:19:52] Yeah.

[00:19:52] So supposedly, so yeah, Nikhil Chinapa has just followed me.

[00:19:55] So I just dropped him a message.

[00:19:57] What?

[00:19:58] Nikhil Chinapa?

[00:19:58] Yeah.

[00:19:59] Nikhil Chinapa just followed me.

[00:20:00] So I just...

[00:20:01] He's a big Formula 1 fan.

[00:20:04] Yeah.

[00:20:04] Yeah.

[00:20:04] Nikhil, if you're listening, we can give you like a VIP access to all of our Inside Line

[00:20:10] events.

[00:20:11] Hell, we could have you playing music over there as well.

[00:20:13] That'd be so cool, right?

[00:20:14] Us talking about Formula 1 and then celebrating it with a party at the end with your music.

[00:20:18] That'd be perfect.

[00:20:19] But there's a continuation to the stat, which I forgot to mention within that stat that's

[00:20:24] being circulated.

[00:20:25] The thing is, Hamilton, after 2012, exactly two years later, he won a title with his new

[00:20:32] team after there was a massive regulation change.

[00:20:35] And two years from now, we have a massive regulation change happening as well.

[00:20:39] And he beat a teammate who was already at the team for far longer than he was.

[00:20:44] Yes.

[00:20:46] So it's kind of struck a chord with a lot of the Hamilton fans who are probably looking

[00:20:50] out for some sort of, you know, good omen for the next couple of years.

[00:20:54] And everyone's loved it.

[00:20:56] I've not received one bad comment, which is very strange from a stat.

[00:20:59] Otherwise, I'm hearing all sorts of stuff.

[00:21:01] But yeah, today I kind of feel good.

[00:21:03] But you know, this is what Formula 1 actually needs.

[00:21:06] Because Formula 1 has very interesting stats on the broadcast.

[00:21:09] But when it comes to their social media, which is where a lot of consumption of the

[00:21:13] sport happens, these are those kind of stats that really stand out.

[00:21:18] So dear F1, if you're listening, we know the man.

[00:21:22] We all know the man.

[00:21:23] We all consume his stats officially or stolen or whatever.

[00:21:27] But on to other things, since, you know, now I've proven why I called y'all jokers.

[00:21:31] I still stand by that.

[00:21:34] But...

[00:21:34] I think they know him too, Kunal.

[00:21:37] I think they know him too.

[00:21:38] Who doesn't?

[00:21:39] But...

[00:21:40] Okay.

[00:21:42] On to...

[00:21:43] But I should mention one more thing about McLaren.

[00:21:46] Because I kind of knew they will win the Constructors' Championship.

[00:21:50] But then what they've achieved is something that's very, very rare.

[00:21:56] So they won the title with two drivers who are not current or former driver's champions.

[00:22:01] And that's just the third time that's happened throughout F1 history.

[00:22:05] Throughout 75 years of the sport, it's happened just thrice.

[00:22:09] The first time it happened was way back in 1958.

[00:22:12] The first year of the Constructors' Championship.

[00:22:16] So that time it was Sterling Moss.

[00:22:17] Someone who's widely regarded as the best Formula 1 driver of the greatest Formula 1 driver to not win a world championship.

[00:22:25] So he was with Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis Evans.

[00:22:28] And then back in 1983 with Patrick Tombe and Renny Anu.

[00:22:33] 40 years later is when finally we see a team winning a title without having the driver's championship in their roster.

[00:22:42] This might change next year though.

[00:22:44] Wow.

[00:22:45] That's crazy.

[00:22:48] But when we are speaking of successful teams, drivers, partnerships, we have to talk about the greatest partnership in Formula 1 history.

[00:22:58] Firstly, let's put that question in there.

[00:23:00] I don't think it's worth debating.

[00:23:03] But guys, I genuinely feel Lewis and Mercedes, what they've achieved, the numbers that they've achieved as a team together, the people that they've beat together.

[00:23:15] I mean, I know I might be biased here because of Lewis being my generation of driver and Michael being your generation of driver, Kunal.

[00:23:24] But statistically, and in terms of influence, and I'm talking about influence off the track as well, because both of them have done so many incredible things for the wider sport as well.

[00:23:33] Inclusivity, greater racial diversity as well.

[00:23:38] Everything that Lewis and Mercedes have achieved together, in my opinion, I don't see any greater driver team partnership in Formula 1 history.

[00:23:44] Even though it might have ended on a sour note, and it felt like Lewis was just relieved to let this whole chapter end.

[00:23:51] But what they've achieved is, I think, something that we will talk about for decades to come.

[00:23:56] Oh yeah, absolutely.

[00:23:57] I think no driver and team partnership has delivered so much on track.

[00:24:05] And like you said, off track, Samuel, the way Mercedes has absorbed Lewis's talent, helped him, made him shine.

[00:24:14] Also, at the same time, they embraced what he stood for.

[00:24:18] The silver arrows turning black, them standing up for all his beliefs.

[00:24:23] I would say political beliefs, but that's not really what would define how he stood up for so many causes.

[00:24:30] Whether it's inclusivity, whether it's Black Lives Matter, whether it's promoting talent, whether it's saving the world as well.

[00:24:39] Like some of the things about being plant-based and sustainable and so on.

[00:24:44] And I think I loved Toto Wolff's send-off message.

[00:24:50] Of course, I'm sure it was scripted.

[00:24:51] And I'm sure they sort of Lewis himself practiced his message, rehearsed it as did Toto.

[00:24:59] But Toto's ending statement, you'll always be a part of the family.

[00:25:03] If we can't win, we'd let you.

[00:25:06] We want to see you win, right?

[00:25:09] And I thought that...

[00:25:10] I've got beautiful, honestly.

[00:25:11] Yeah, that was incredible.

[00:25:12] For all the words about sabotage, which I don't think has happened really, but it's so difficult to out-scream or out-tweet, outwit the algorithms to tell people that there is no sabotage there.

[00:25:30] And even the overtake he pulled off on George, I mean, George, out of respect, wouldn't have gone wheel-to-wheel for all we know.

[00:25:37] But Lewis also had a tired advantage.

[00:25:40] But all in all, just what an emotional moment.

[00:25:44] And you realize, hey, he's not leaving Formula 1.

[00:25:47] He's just going to another team.

[00:25:48] I can't imagine if Formula 1 can handle a Lewis Hamilton retirement.

[00:25:53] You know, we've, of course, just about handled a Vettel and a Raikkonen retirement.

[00:25:57] But a Lewis Hamilton retirement.

[00:25:58] And I have to say, he did his donuts.

[00:26:01] Big, big, you know, big credit to Mercedes for letting him do donuts.

[00:26:08] And yes, we've seen the race director's notes where they were telling that Lewis will do donuts and park up and so on.

[00:26:15] And a lot of people were saying, why can't the others do donuts?

[00:26:18] Why not Max Verstappen?

[00:26:20] Why not, you know, Leclerc or whoever wanted to do donuts?

[00:26:22] The truth is, it's not that the FIA has a say in who can do donuts or not.

[00:26:27] They don't.

[00:26:28] The teams have a say.

[00:26:30] And why do they have a say?

[00:26:31] Because in a couple of days, actually, not even a couple of days, tomorrow is when the postseason tests start.

[00:26:36] The young drivers will go in there.

[00:26:38] The tire tests will go in there.

[00:26:40] And the teams want to use the same engines.

[00:26:44] They don't want to be installing new engines.

[00:26:46] And when you run donuts, you're actually risking damage to those engines.

[00:26:51] And that's why a couple of years ago, Mick Schumacher was told to not do donuts.

[00:26:55] Because as a customer team, if you have to put in a new Ferrari engine, okay, it's just going to cost you more money,

[00:27:00] especially from a driver you've not earned too many points from, for example.

[00:27:04] So next time this happens, again, no sabotage for Lewis or for other drivers who didn't do a donut.

[00:27:10] But hey, I'd love to see the donuts.

[00:27:12] And I actually missed Joe Kuan you doing it.

[00:27:14] Come on.

[00:27:15] That's rude of you.

[00:27:16] Even I didn't catch it.

[00:27:18] The guy has three moments in the entire year and you missed one of them.

[00:27:22] We all know those three moments.

[00:27:25] But yeah, even I missed it, unfortunately.

[00:27:27] We will talk about Joe later.

[00:27:29] Trust me, we will talk about Joe Kuan you later.

[00:27:31] Because I don't think Formula One is done with him yet.

[00:27:33] There is a bigger overarching story to it.

[00:27:35] But back to Lewis, back to Ferrari.

[00:27:38] I want to talk a little bit more about what Fred Visser has said.

[00:27:42] And this could be very interesting, right?

[00:27:45] We all know Lewis is the greatest.

[00:27:46] But we also have seen so many moments where Lewis can throw his toys in the pram.

[00:27:52] Let's put it that way.

[00:27:53] That's how the Dutch would describe it.

[00:27:55] Where he can just be like, okay, it's not working.

[00:27:58] Let it be.

[00:27:59] I don't want to be here anymore.

[00:28:00] Let's focus on what's next.

[00:28:02] And he himself has admitted he's not really the best at handling his emotions.

[00:28:05] He's only human.

[00:28:06] That can happen.

[00:28:07] But what Fred Visser has come to the media and said, I think really well sums up Lewis Hamilton.

[00:28:14] Fred's understanding of Lewis and why I feel that partnership might just work out better than we all expected to.

[00:28:20] He said, and the interviewer asked Fred about Lewis Hamilton leaving the team of his life.

[00:28:25] Fred Visser said, the team of his life, we will judge it in two years.

[00:28:29] Thank you.

[00:28:29] It didn't always go well.

[00:28:31] He's someone quite sensitive who needs to be surrounded, supported, loved.

[00:28:34] He could have had the feeling that it was not always the case this season.

[00:28:38] After, I think when he smelled the blood or at least the smell of Russell in front today,

[00:28:42] he put everything back and he showed that he's quick.

[00:28:44] I was never worried.

[00:28:46] I know what he has in mind.

[00:28:48] I think for us, it will be an added value in addition.

[00:28:51] And Sundaram, I think there is no better way of summing up Lewis Hamilton.

[00:28:55] When he smells blood, he has a ninth gear that nobody else has.

[00:28:59] But when things are not working, probably he dips to a gear three or gear two.

[00:29:04] When a George Russell would be on gear six.

[00:29:06] But if Ferrari can give him that package and if Fred Visser can give him the love that Ferrari have failed to give to drivers like Alain Prost in the past,

[00:29:14] I think we'll be in a very good state for 2025.

[00:29:16] And I don't know if I really agree with Fred's words over here because, see, first of all about the team of his life story.

[00:29:24] Sometimes when you bring up certain drivers' names, they're almost synonymous to a certain team.

[00:29:29] You don't think about Michael Schumacher and the Benetton days.

[00:29:32] You think about Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.

[00:29:34] Yes, he won his first two titles with Benetton.

[00:29:36] But you always think about his time with Ferrari.

[00:29:39] And it's going to be the same with Lewis.

[00:29:41] Even if he wins two titles, three titles more with Ferrari, I think what made him Lewis?

[00:29:46] No.

[00:29:47] No, no, no.

[00:29:48] If you win a title with Ferrari.

[00:29:50] No, come on.

[00:29:51] I know a lot of people are kind of happy and a lot of his fans are happy that he's moving away from Mercedes.

[00:29:57] But the team that made him a legend or took him to that iconic status is always going to be Mercedes.

[00:30:05] No drivers won six titles with the team.

[00:30:07] Okay.

[00:30:08] And he's become Lewis Hamilton because of Mercedes and vice versa.

[00:30:13] Mercedes has reached that stature because of Lewis.

[00:30:16] And that's why I say even if he goes to Ferrari, sure.

[00:30:18] And I really wish that he has a lot of success.

[00:30:22] And Ferrari has been that sort of team which hasn't handled its champions well.

[00:30:26] We've seen that with Vettel.

[00:30:28] We've seen that with Alonso.

[00:30:29] We've seen that with several others as well.

[00:30:31] Kimi Raikkonen to some extent.

[00:30:33] I don't know if Ferrari, if it's changed under Fred's time.

[00:30:37] But he's also right in that way that he really needs to be surrounded.

[00:30:41] And whenever a team has a driver moving out, obviously there is not that sort of same relationship that you would obviously have with the driver who's more staying with you for a longer period of time.

[00:30:52] You do have to hide certain things from the driver, especially about your next year's plans.

[00:30:56] And you're not a part of the closer group of people who know what next year's car is going to be like.

[00:31:01] So in that case, Hamilton might have felt so.

[00:31:03] And sure, there's lots of rumors around sabotage and everything.

[00:31:06] But for me, Mercedes and Hamilton will always be synonymous.

[00:31:10] Not even McLaren.

[00:31:11] Probably not even Ferrari.

[00:31:12] I have to agree with that.

[00:31:15] Or let's put it this way.

[00:31:17] We will test that scenario out in a couple of years.

[00:31:20] I love this transition photo of Lewis where he's literally gone from silver arrows to the red outfit, so to say.

[00:31:31] But at the moment, it's Lewis's Mercedes, Mercedes is Lewis.

[00:31:36] And it's difficult to think otherwise.

[00:31:39] And all we should do is just celebrate that one of the greatest drivers is going to have the opportunity that not all the greats have had before.

[00:31:48] And not many drivers may have here on as well.

[00:31:52] I mean, Max Verstappen may never drive a Ferrari or a Mercedes before he calls his time in Formula One and ends his era.

[00:32:00] But I definitely think Hamilton-Mercedes is that unmatched era just given their dominance, their competitiveness.

[00:32:09] And like I said, embracing each other for more than just what they brought to the world of motorsport.

[00:32:16] I was tearing up at the end when Bono said, Lewis, it's hammer time.

[00:32:21] And the way Lewis was performing at the end, closing up a 13-second gap within 10-odd laps.

[00:32:27] That, I know he had a tired advantage.

[00:32:29] I know George didn't really fight a lot with him.

[00:32:33] Whatever.

[00:32:34] We all enjoyed it for one last time.

[00:32:36] And that was honestly incredible.

[00:32:39] But something tells me he was very relieved to go.

[00:32:42] Because looking at his face, looking at his expressions after the race, after it was all done, the donuts felt obligatory.

[00:32:51] The pictures felt obligatory.

[00:32:53] You've got a feeling that it was an end for the sake of there being an end.

[00:32:58] And I wouldn't be surprised if 5-10 years down the line, Lewis comes back and said,

[00:33:02] I wasn't feeling 100% that day.

[00:33:04] Or my mind wasn't 100% focused on Mercedes or the end on that very day.

[00:33:09] Maybe because it's coming for such a long time that you zone yourself out mentally and already start looking in the future.

[00:33:14] But whatever it is, we have to take that moment to celebrate this incredible partnership.

[00:33:18] And now next year, George Russell will be leading the team that's been the most successful one in the last 10-odd years.

[00:33:26] I am so excited.

[00:33:29] I am so excited.

[00:33:31] You know, there's one further point I actually wanted to highlight about Lewis' partnership.

[00:33:36] Because I think the two major partnerships that we've seen in Formula 1, of course, Lewis' Mercedes and Michael Ferrari.

[00:33:44] These two partnerships came at a time when no one expected it to flourish.

[00:33:51] When Michael moved to Ferrari, they had not won the title in what, 15-16 years.

[00:33:55] They had no indicators or they had nothing to prove that they had what it takes to be a world championship team.

[00:34:03] They had lots of internal rivalries and internal politics, not rivalries, internal politics happening at the time.

[00:34:10] And it really took someone like a Ross Brown and a Michael Schumacher to bring all of those different sides together and make them work together as one.

[00:34:18] So Michael took the plunge back then to make Ferrari great again.

[00:34:22] And Lewis took the plunge to go to a Mercedes when everyone publicly humiliated him and called him out for probably never winning a race again.

[00:34:31] And if you look at Verstappen going to Red Bull, obviously he was part of the Driver Academy.

[00:34:36] But Red Bull had won a title barely two years ago.

[00:34:40] Ayrton Senna, when he moved to McLaren from the Lotus days, McLaren had won the title a couple of years ago.

[00:34:48] So you always want to go to the best team at that point or in recent history to further your career.

[00:34:54] But when Michael and Lewis's careers reached the top, they actually went with teams which had no indication that they would rule the world.

[00:35:01] So in that case also why I have to speak so highly about this partnership.

[00:35:06] And this is why, again, this will still sit a little higher for me than any other partnership.

[00:35:09] Ferrari has done well this year.

[00:35:11] And I know Lewis is going to be very positive about that.

[00:35:14] But that's why for me that relationship is going to be very, very big.

[00:35:18] You were saying, Kunal.

[00:35:18] No, I mean, you know, I like the point that there was no guarantee of success.

[00:35:24] He said, you know, we dreamed alone and we made it happen.

[00:35:28] And we made it happen together.

[00:35:31] And, you know, to me, like he said, you know, it's history now.

[00:35:35] All his races have been powered by Mercedes.

[00:35:37] There's a lot of love that's not going anywhere.

[00:35:39] And I'd love to see how it coexists.

[00:35:43] You know, his love for Mercedes as a brand, but treating them as a rival as well.

[00:35:47] And yesterday, one of the things that I also noticed that there were two drivers who staged a very strong recovery drive.

[00:35:55] Both of them are going to race for Ferrari next year.

[00:35:57] First was Leclerc.

[00:35:58] He went from 19th to third.

[00:36:00] And then 16th to fourth for Lewis Hamilton.

[00:36:05] And I think we have to spend time discussing that opening lap of Leclerc.

[00:36:10] Because I literally made a note of who all he went by.

[00:36:16] Because I think it was in six corners that he made up four positions or what.

[00:36:21] I can't remember.

[00:36:22] So he made the start.

[00:36:24] Yuki Tsunoda was tall and he just went out.

[00:36:26] And there was, I think, Albin and Doon didn't really care.

[00:36:29] And then Piastri and Verstappen had spun around.

[00:36:33] And, you know, I think Joe Kuan Yu somewhere got stuck there.

[00:36:36] I actually saw this replay a few times.

[00:36:39] And I think he made, like I said, in those six corners, he made 11 places up.

[00:36:45] Because there was also Perez, Magnussen, maybe Bottas and Tsunoda S1.

[00:36:49] There's Lawson.

[00:36:50] And they were all up there.

[00:36:52] And he was driving like I've actually never seen, you know, I've never seen such a strong recovery drive by Ferrari.

[00:37:01] They aided him with strategy.

[00:37:02] He aided their strategy by pulling off a brilliant drive.

[00:37:08] And, you know, again, fan bases who are new to the sport said, guess what?

[00:37:12] You know, how bad is Carlos?

[00:37:14] He started up there and he finished second.

[00:37:16] And this guy started at the last row and finished third.

[00:37:20] Well, the truth is, you know, that's how Formula One works.

[00:37:23] There is no higher than second if the driver ahead is ahead of you.

[00:37:27] And then you're just controlling your race.

[00:37:29] So both drivers, I think, drove a phenomenal race to sort of give Ferrari the best shot at trying to get that Constructors Championship,

[00:37:44] which, of course, didn't come.

[00:37:45] But, you know, under Frederic Vassour, the recovery that Ferrari has had has been pretty phenomenal.

[00:37:51] Can I tell you something?

[00:37:53] There's also a stat to support this.

[00:37:55] Sorry, Samuel.

[00:37:55] The thing is, in the first half of the season, the team with the most points was Red Bull.

[00:38:03] And in the second half of the season, the team with the most points was Ferrari.

[00:38:06] And neither of those teams won the Constructors title.

[00:38:09] That's crazy.

[00:38:12] Have you put this out yet?

[00:38:13] Not yet.

[00:38:14] I have a lot of stats to put out.

[00:38:16] I have a lot of stats to put out.

[00:38:17] Do it now.

[00:38:18] Do it now.

[00:38:20] That's a crazy one.

[00:38:21] Which, again, further gives you evidence as to why McLaren were deserving champions.

[00:38:27] Good everywhere.

[00:38:28] I think that car was just phenomenal.

[00:38:31] Speaking of car, we should talk about car loss.

[00:38:34] Of course.

[00:38:35] That's another farewell we need to talk about.

[00:38:38] There are a lot of farewells we still have to get to before we talk about just how good Pierre Gasly was.

[00:38:43] And I really want to talk about that.

[00:38:44] But Carlos Sainz, if this is the end, I'd say what a fitting performance it was.

[00:38:51] Not P1, because we know that rarely happens with Carlos.

[00:38:54] But a solid, well-structured, well-deserved P2.

[00:38:58] That can be the legacy of Carlos Sainz in a way.

[00:39:01] Which I hate to say as a fan, because I'd love to see him number one more often.

[00:39:05] But just very solid.

[00:39:07] And I like the fact that he's showing belief in Williams already.

[00:39:14] In his post-race interview, he said thank you to Ferrari.

[00:39:17] And he said, I believe in Williams and the project.

[00:39:20] And I cannot wait to get it going.

[00:39:22] That immediately after the journey is done.

[00:39:24] Like a Ferrari journey is so emotional to get out of, right?

[00:39:27] There's so much of love, support.

[00:39:30] There's so many people wishing well for you.

[00:39:32] There's so many people creating flags for you.

[00:39:34] And inviting you to their restaurant so that you can inaugurate a flag that has your name on it.

[00:39:37] That happened with Carlos Sainz.

[00:39:39] And just that emotional baggage of leaving Ferrari.

[00:39:41] The fact that he was mature enough to drop it right there.

[00:39:45] And say, okay, my focus is now on Williams immediately.

[00:39:48] Because he goes there tomorrow.

[00:39:50] I mean, this guy is laser-focused.

[00:39:52] He deserves more.

[00:39:54] But I'm so excited to see.

[00:39:56] And I'd say he was the right driver for the right time for Ferrari Kunal.

[00:40:00] Because I don't think anyone else could have come in and done as good of a job as he did.

[00:40:05] And by as good of a job, I don't mean score as many points or be always P1.

[00:40:10] Just calmness, solidity, a very smart brain.

[00:40:16] And someone who the team can depend on.

[00:40:18] And whenever they called upon him, this guy did score a lot of points.

[00:40:22] I don't remember him making so many individual driver mistakes.

[00:40:24] He was the perfect teammate to Leclerc, I'd say.

[00:40:27] And, you know, I liked his clarity of thought.

[00:40:29] Because you can see that he's really had to work hard on himself with the guards that he's been dealt.

[00:40:34] He said, I was actually a replacement for Seb.

[00:40:37] And that was actually never planned.

[00:40:38] So I was just filling in a seat till Ferrari figured who they wanted next and what they wanted.

[00:40:43] And he said, Leclerc has always been a part of this.

[00:40:45] So they will continue with him.

[00:40:46] And then when a legend like Lewis comes, who can say no to it?

[00:40:50] So very matter-of-factly, which, again, very few drivers would have been able to deal with.

[00:40:56] You know, where they are just like, okay, this is how the dice rolls.

[00:41:02] And I am the one who loses out.

[00:41:04] So I'd love to see how he makes a recovery for Williams.

[00:41:08] But I get a feeling that he might just be lapped up by a bigger team in 2026 or even 2027.

[00:41:15] Just because of what he's shown he can do at Ferrari against Leclerc.

[00:41:20] Because let's remember right now, there's this big pool of young drivers.

[00:41:24] Even though I would want all of them to succeed, there's a good chance some of them may or may not succeed as much.

[00:41:31] And there could be that pull again of having more experienced drivers come back into the teams as well.

[00:41:37] So Formula 1 is always a circle.

[00:41:39] Like I remember a very famous quote from Esteban Ocon, you know, where he said,

[00:41:43] I will drive for the slowest team on the grid if I have to.

[00:41:47] Because that's my best chance of being seen rather than taking a year's break from Formula 1.

[00:41:53] You're right.

[00:41:53] This is when he said when he was forced out of Racing Point.

[00:41:57] When the stroll suddenly came in and said, oops, but I got to give my son a seat.

[00:42:00] So thank you very much.

[00:42:02] Sorry, we're not going there today.

[00:42:04] We're not touching up on Aston Martin in that second seat today.

[00:42:09] I will weep.

[00:42:11] We have better things to do.

[00:42:12] No, but coming back to Carlos, you know what?

[00:42:14] Carlos Sainz has actually just stepped out on track in a Williams car for the first time today.

[00:42:20] On a filming day, it's actually there today.

[00:42:23] So he's actually gone out in a Williams car already.

[00:42:26] And now he's actually driven for the top three constructors in Formula 1 history.

[00:42:32] Ferrari.

[00:42:32] You're right.

[00:42:33] McLaren.

[00:42:34] McLaren.

[00:42:35] Now his second.

[00:42:35] His second most in terms of constructors titles.

[00:42:38] And also Williams.

[00:42:39] Actually, someone sent me a text last night asking, has Williams won nine titles?

[00:42:45] So yeah, I think they're a recent Formula 1 fan.

[00:42:47] But Williams has been one of the most formidable teams in F1 history.

[00:42:52] But I get the emotion why he's so emotional leaving Ferrari.

[00:42:55] But he also probably understands this is going to be a while since he's at the very front.

[00:42:59] There's a lot of belief in the project, but he knows it's a long project.

[00:43:03] And like Kunal said, he can show that he has experience on his side.

[00:43:07] And he's a steady driver.

[00:43:10] However, going P2 yesterday without making any mistakes is also a very big thing considering

[00:43:16] it at least got them close to the championship with McLaren.

[00:43:20] So I hope this is not the end of the road for Carlos Sainz.

[00:43:23] He definitely deserves to be in the upper, upper tier of cars and drivers that are there

[00:43:29] in Formula 1.

[00:43:30] And he's what?

[00:43:30] All of 30 if I'm not wrong.

[00:43:32] So there's definitely a lot left in the tank for Carlos.

[00:43:37] Is this a Spaniard thing?

[00:43:39] Is this a Spaniard thing?

[00:43:41] For some reason, they're at the right team, but at the wrong time.

[00:43:44] I swear.

[00:43:45] And when they leave, the team gets better.

[00:43:48] Oh, I just remembered.

[00:43:50] I just remembered.

[00:43:52] McLaren is the first team to win the title after Fernando Alonso has left a team.

[00:43:59] No.

[00:44:00] Yeah.

[00:44:00] You're right though.

[00:44:01] He's left Renault.

[00:44:03] He's left Renault.

[00:44:03] They've never won.

[00:44:04] He left McLaren.

[00:44:05] They just won yesterday.

[00:44:06] He left Ferrari.

[00:44:07] They never won again.

[00:44:09] Soon enough.

[00:44:09] Hey, Carlos Sainz is fulfilling that prophecy.

[00:44:12] Because now that he's left Ferrari, there's a good chance that they might end up winning

[00:44:15] the championship.

[00:44:16] Exactly.

[00:44:17] Oh boy.

[00:44:18] Oh boy.

[00:44:18] And Carlos Sainz must be wondering, oh my God.

[00:44:21] What if I had just stayed on McLaren all these years?

[00:44:23] Could I have been the one winning?

[00:44:25] Would McLaren have kept him?

[00:44:27] Would McLaren have kept him?

[00:44:29] I think so.

[00:44:30] Because he had the measure of Lando Norris at that time.

[00:44:33] At that time, he was the quicker driver.

[00:44:36] With four more years?

[00:44:37] They looked sad to let him go.

[00:44:39] Yeah.

[00:44:40] I think he's also the right driver at the right time for McLaren, I believe.

[00:44:44] I mean, as much as we have to credit Andrea Stella, Zach Brown, Lando Norris and everyone

[00:44:49] around it.

[00:44:49] Oscar Piastri too.

[00:44:51] I think Carlos Sainz also played a big part in that recovery.

[00:44:54] Because you needed someone like him to transition from 2018 to 2022.

[00:44:59] Where they eventually did start their progression forward.

[00:45:03] And each and every one of those podiums that he got for the team in that meantime,

[00:45:06] it meant the world to them.

[00:45:09] You could see how happy they were.

[00:45:10] You could see how much they believed in Carlos and how much he believed in that project as well.

[00:45:14] Ah, worked out so well.

[00:45:15] But okay, guys.

[00:45:16] Now I have to give you a choice.

[00:45:17] I've been leading the topics all the while.

[00:45:20] We have two choices.

[00:45:21] We either say congratulations, Pierre Gasly first.

[00:45:25] Or we say goodbye to a lot of people.

[00:45:26] And we want to say a proper goodbye to a lot of people.

[00:45:29] Because there are some few really fun things there.

[00:45:32] We're not touching on Max Verstappen at all, is it?

[00:45:35] Can you believe that?

[00:45:36] I mean, he's done all the touching already.

[00:45:37] So there's not much that needs to be touched upon.

[00:45:40] But I'll bring in two stats before we move to the next team.

[00:45:44] I know Kunal is a fan of numerology.

[00:45:48] And Max Verstappen has 437 points this season.

[00:45:52] 4-3-7.

[00:45:53] You rearrange that.

[00:45:54] Lando Norris has 374 points this season.

[00:45:57] Okay?

[00:45:57] And the difference between the both is 63.

[00:46:00] Whose racing number is that?

[00:46:02] George Russell.

[00:46:05] A little tribute, a little nod to his good mate from the recent races, George Russell.

[00:46:11] But something that I also kind of looked into yesterday.

[00:46:15] Max Verstappen has had a tough year.

[00:46:18] He spent 10 races outside the podium spots.

[00:46:23] And this is something I'm actually verifying.

[00:46:26] Apart from Sebastian Vettel in 2012,

[00:46:29] No Driver has spent so many races off the podium and actually won the championship.

[00:46:33] Sure, if you go back into the 2000s, further earlier,

[00:46:37] a lot of the races, seasons were a lot shorter.

[00:46:39] 17 races and the likes.

[00:46:40] But I really have to look at the percentage and find out where does he rank.

[00:46:45] But he spent 10 of the 24 races off the podium and he still won it by 60 plus points.

[00:46:51] So, if that summarizes Max Verstappen's season for you,

[00:46:56] yeah, I hope you get it.

[00:46:57] One of the greatest Formula 1 seasons by a driver ever.

[00:47:00] Honestly.

[00:47:01] Like, it's...

[00:47:03] I just wish there was no bullying and pushing people off the track or crashing into them.

[00:47:07] And I get a feeling, unfortunately, we might get to see more

[00:47:12] because Red Bull dominance is not guaranteed anymore.

[00:47:15] Which means we properly...

[00:47:17] You know what?

[00:47:17] They have more time in the wind tunnel next year.

[00:47:20] They do.

[00:47:20] They can use that for 2025 and they can use it for 2026.

[00:47:25] This might just be a small blip.

[00:47:27] Hey, wait.

[00:47:27] But does it work for 26 though?

[00:47:29] Because shouldn't it be offset for everyone for 2026?

[00:47:33] Right?

[00:47:34] I mean, technically, ideally.

[00:47:35] It will be offset next year in June.

[00:47:38] Okay.

[00:47:38] But the regulation opens up from 1st of January,

[00:47:43] which means everyone can run double programs.

[00:47:46] Everyone will run double programs, 25 and 26.

[00:47:49] But onto this, you know, you said a great season for Max.

[00:47:52] Also, a great swing of performances for Max.

[00:47:55] He's either had world championship drives,

[00:47:57] like we saw several times, Brazil being the most recent,

[00:48:01] my recency bias kicking him.

[00:48:02] All that move yesterday on PS3.

[00:48:06] I mean, you know, Oscar PS3 said, wow, that's a world champion's move or whatever he said.

[00:48:10] But it's unbelievable how Max can swing from one to the other,

[00:48:16] you know, where he'll put in the most stunning drives.

[00:48:19] And they were like, Max, but what did you do wheel to wheel again?

[00:48:22] There is no in between, you know, and I think this is something,

[00:48:27] if 2025 is as close, which it seems like it's going to be,

[00:48:32] this is something he will have to clean up at his end.

[00:48:36] Because what happened yesterday, he could have been up there in the top three positions,

[00:48:41] maybe, you know, fourth as well, just before Lewis or someone.

[00:48:45] But he just ended up losing more points.

[00:48:47] It's just that he lost points at a time of a season when he didn't really need them.

[00:48:51] Red Bull couldn't have done with more points either way.

[00:48:53] But when it is tight, when all the battles are, it's all set to play for.

[00:48:58] Movements, moves like these will cost him and Red Bull Racing points in the championship.

[00:49:03] But my favorite Max move from the race weekend was when George Russell and Toto Wolfe pounced onto him.

[00:49:11] George says, I have an eight-year-old nephew and whatever, he's swearing.

[00:49:14] And then Toto Wolfe said, I have a seven-year-old son who's carting,

[00:49:17] who watches all the press conferences.

[00:49:18] And then guess what Max says?

[00:49:21] I have a newborn baby on the way.

[00:49:22] I think that was his most amazing move.

[00:49:24] Congratulations to Max and Kelly.

[00:49:26] A little Verstappen PK on the way.

[00:49:29] Can you imagine the genes that kid is going to be born with?

[00:49:33] Two world champions and several intertwined DNA of motorsport talent in that little champion.

[00:49:43] Let's focus on the racing side with the kid though.

[00:49:47] Let's not focus on the other side.

[00:49:49] But the racing, yeah, they're going to be good.

[00:49:51] There's something about Nelson Pique and Max Verstappen.

[00:49:54] Both of them were brilliant drivers,

[00:49:57] especially when they were not starting from pole position.

[00:49:59] So I think that's one of the genes that the child is going to get,

[00:50:02] regardless if they're going to be a racing driver or not.

[00:50:05] But yeah.

[00:50:06] But on to Pierre Gasly.

[00:50:07] Let's, you know, he, of course,

[00:50:11] he, of course, caught that P6 for Alpine,

[00:50:15] I would say almost single-handedly,

[00:50:16] given the performances he's put in the last few races.

[00:50:21] But crucially...

[00:50:22] Single-handedly?

[00:50:24] Yeah, I mean, don't you think?

[00:50:27] But that's what all of Ocones are going to believe.

[00:50:29] Everyone's forgetting Esteban Ocon.

[00:50:31] No, I'm not.

[00:50:32] I'm not.

[00:50:34] I'm not forgetting Ocon.

[00:50:35] What I mean is,

[00:50:36] the last few races,

[00:50:37] Alpine has forgotten Ocon has existed.

[00:50:42] And he's got the better car.

[00:50:43] He's got all the upgrades.

[00:50:44] He's got the A-spec car, as you'd call it.

[00:50:47] He's delivered with that A-spec.

[00:50:48] In qualifying and in the races.

[00:50:50] He's outscored the Haases.

[00:50:51] He's gotten MP6 in the championship.

[00:50:55] And to me, that's credible.

[00:50:58] Also, I think with his finish in Abu Dhabi,

[00:51:02] one of my most disappointing stats

[00:51:03] was that Pierre Gasly overtook Nico Halkenberg

[00:51:07] for P10 in the Drivers' Championship.

[00:51:09] And this is Halkenberg,

[00:51:11] who's probably spent 85%, 90% of the season in P10,

[00:51:14] suddenly just lost it by one point

[00:51:16] in the last race in Abu Dhabi.

[00:51:19] Not that Halkenberg would have gotten too much of a bonus

[00:51:21] or whatever, or the likes.

[00:51:23] But there we go.

[00:51:24] Pierre Gasly is up to P10.

[00:51:26] One position up.

[00:51:28] And in Brazil, man, what a comedy.

[00:51:31] What an outlier, right?

[00:51:32] They got 35 points.

[00:51:34] Alpine before that had a collection of

[00:51:36] 1 point, 4 points, 4 points, 1 point,

[00:51:39] something like that.

[00:51:40] And then in Brazil, they get 35.

[00:51:43] And I genuinely don't think

[00:51:45] we've ever seen an outlier like that

[00:51:47] in Formula 1, which is one race

[00:51:49] can get you an extra $24 million.

[00:51:52] That's around 17% of your budget

[00:51:54] in one race.

[00:51:56] And, you know, it's been a wacky

[00:51:58] last couple of races for Alpine

[00:51:59] because we haven't touched upon this.

[00:52:01] But in Las Vegas,

[00:52:02] the reason why Pierre Gasly's engine exploded

[00:52:04] is because it was too freaky fast.

[00:52:08] They got in the slipstream of Yuki Tsunoda.

[00:52:10] The engine went to a rev limit

[00:52:11] where it didn't ever go.

[00:52:13] It was not designed to go there as well.

[00:52:15] And because of that,

[00:52:16] it just ended up breaking.

[00:52:17] And that to me is phenomenal.

[00:52:19] So you get 35 points in Brazil,

[00:52:21] the engine tapping out in Las Vegas,

[00:52:23] Gasly putting it in P3 in Abu Dhabi,

[00:52:26] defending against George Russell

[00:52:27] for most of the race.

[00:52:29] And then when Leclerc comes to pass

[00:52:30] Pierre Gasly,

[00:52:31] he gets passed in one go.

[00:52:32] And Russell might have been thinking,

[00:52:34] bloody hell,

[00:52:34] why couldn't I have done that?

[00:52:36] Couldn't I have done that?

[00:52:37] But Gasly was all throughout phenomenal.

[00:52:40] And I was questioning big time,

[00:52:43] as we all were,

[00:52:44] why would Alpine let go of Esteban Ocon

[00:52:46] when they had just have a five-point cap

[00:52:48] to Haas in the last race of the season?

[00:52:51] Wouldn't you want something

[00:52:52] or someone more proven

[00:52:53] to just secure the championship?

[00:52:55] I think they believed in Gasly

[00:52:56] and his qualifying abilities far too much.

[00:52:58] And for that,

[00:52:59] it's a fair play.

[00:53:00] This guy has really smashed it out of the park.

[00:53:01] Pierre Gasly has been very,

[00:53:10] and also getting points for the team.

[00:53:12] And I've just been looking at the points

[00:53:14] over the last five races.

[00:53:16] The last five races,

[00:53:17] which,

[00:53:18] okay,

[00:53:18] let's talk about the last four races

[00:53:21] from Brazil.

[00:53:23] Max Verstappen has the most points,

[00:53:25] 75.

[00:53:26] Pierre Gasly has 33.

[00:53:28] Half of that.

[00:53:30] How much does Sergio Perez have?

[00:53:31] Two.

[00:53:35] But yeah,

[00:53:35] Pierre Gasly has been exceptional

[00:53:37] over these last four races.

[00:53:39] P3 on DNF,

[00:53:40] like you said,

[00:53:41] in Las Vegas,

[00:53:41] and then a P5 and a P7.

[00:53:43] So,

[00:53:43] he's really,

[00:53:44] really worked out

[00:53:45] to give them that P6 position

[00:53:47] and what,

[00:53:48] 15,

[00:53:49] 20 million odd

[00:53:50] more

[00:53:50] in the bank.

[00:53:52] So,

[00:53:53] yeah.

[00:53:54] Yeah,

[00:53:54] they'll need that

[00:53:55] for the compensation

[00:53:56] they'll have to pay

[00:53:57] for all the team principals

[00:53:57] they've sacked,

[00:53:58] right?

[00:53:58] So,

[00:53:59] it's a fair amount of work.

[00:54:04] Wow.

[00:54:05] But the one driver

[00:54:06] I'd love to speak about

[00:54:08] is Kevin Magnuson.

[00:54:09] He's had the most

[00:54:10] beautiful moments

[00:54:11] with his daughter

[00:54:12] on the grid,

[00:54:13] his daughter helping him

[00:54:14] get ready.

[00:54:15] And he said,

[00:54:15] you know,

[00:54:15] she won't remember

[00:54:16] any of it.

[00:54:17] There we go.

[00:54:17] Yeah,

[00:54:17] that picture is so beautiful.

[00:54:19] She won't remember

[00:54:20] any of it.

[00:54:21] But I'm going to remember

[00:54:22] this moment

[00:54:22] for the rest of my life.

[00:54:23] And he's not going to be

[00:54:26] in Formula One.

[00:54:26] He's racing with BMW,

[00:54:28] you know,

[00:54:29] from literally

[00:54:30] next couple of weeks

[00:54:31] onwards as well.

[00:54:32] Great,

[00:54:33] great end

[00:54:34] to a season

[00:54:35] and a career

[00:54:36] for Kevin Magnuson

[00:54:39] as well.

[00:54:40] And Haas,

[00:54:40] I'm sure they're also

[00:54:41] kicking themselves

[00:54:42] over,

[00:54:43] you know,

[00:54:43] that result.

[00:54:44] And they've said,

[00:54:44] you know,

[00:54:44] that Brazil is where

[00:54:45] we lost it.

[00:54:46] You know,

[00:54:47] Alpine outscored

[00:54:48] everyone in that race.

[00:54:50] And then,

[00:54:50] boom,

[00:54:50] we've just been playing

[00:54:51] catch up.

[00:54:52] It just matters

[00:54:52] when you're bogey

[00:54:54] or when your trump card

[00:54:55] comes at which part

[00:54:56] of the game

[00:54:56] and,

[00:54:57] you know,

[00:54:57] where you stand

[00:54:58] at that time

[00:54:59] when you get the chance

[00:55:00] to play your trump card.

[00:55:01] Did Behrman cost them

[00:55:02] that race?

[00:55:03] Because he was running

[00:55:04] in the points,

[00:55:04] remember?

[00:55:05] Lots of digging,

[00:55:07] but they're just happy

[00:55:07] they're not the ones

[00:55:08] that is last,

[00:55:09] I would say.

[00:55:10] Yeah.

[00:55:10] Oh yeah,

[00:55:11] what a year.

[00:55:12] But more than

[00:55:13] Magnuson leaving,

[00:55:14] I'm more sad about

[00:55:16] despairing coming to an end.

[00:55:18] Magnuson and Nico Hulkenberg.

[00:55:20] A partnership that began

[00:55:22] in acrimony

[00:55:23] with one of them

[00:55:24] offering the other person

[00:55:25] to offer the moral

[00:55:27] stimulation.

[00:55:29] It's now ended

[00:55:30] with both of them

[00:55:30] being two of the most

[00:55:31] incredible midfield teammates

[00:55:33] I think in Formula 1.

[00:55:35] Like,

[00:55:35] given the context,

[00:55:37] right,

[00:55:37] both of them

[00:55:38] returnees to Formula 1,

[00:55:40] both of them

[00:55:41] in their second leg

[00:55:42] in the sport.

[00:55:42] Nico Hulkenberg

[00:55:43] arguably in his

[00:55:44] 2.5th leg

[00:55:46] in Formula 1.

[00:55:47] Amor,

[00:55:47] how many returns

[00:55:48] has he made

[00:55:49] to Formula 1?

[00:55:49] He's been dropped

[00:55:50] so many times.

[00:55:51] He's been dropped

[00:55:52] multiple times.

[00:55:53] 2010 initially

[00:55:55] and then 11 actually

[00:55:57] and then after that.

[00:55:59] The point being,

[00:56:00] they aren't meant

[00:56:01] to be here.

[00:56:02] They aren't meant

[00:56:03] to be teammates.

[00:56:04] They aren't meant

[00:56:05] to be in this team

[00:56:06] and this team

[00:56:07] isn't meant to be

[00:56:07] this high up

[00:56:08] given the way

[00:56:09] it operates

[00:56:09] with four different

[00:56:10] bases and so many

[00:56:11] different suppliers

[00:56:12] and people managing

[00:56:13] this whole outfit

[00:56:14] and what they've done

[00:56:16] collectively.

[00:56:16] Completely different

[00:56:17] personalities

[00:56:18] in terms of

[00:56:19] what they do

[00:56:19] on track.

[00:56:20] Magnussen

[00:56:20] the one bringing

[00:56:22] the fire

[00:56:22] Hulkenberg

[00:56:23] the one bringing

[00:56:24] the ice to it.

[00:56:25] They weren't

[00:56:26] friends.

[00:56:26] They probably still

[00:56:27] aren't but the way

[00:56:28] this relationship

[00:56:28] has blossomed

[00:56:29] and how they've

[00:56:30] contributed to

[00:56:31] Haas' success.

[00:56:32] Too mature drivers

[00:56:33] putting aside

[00:56:34] all their problems

[00:56:35] to work towards

[00:56:36] a common goal

[00:56:37] for a team

[00:56:37] that desperately

[00:56:38] needs something

[00:56:38] like that.

[00:56:39] And given

[00:56:40] where Haas was

[00:56:41] with their drivers

[00:56:42] just a few years

[00:56:42] ago,

[00:56:43] I'd say

[00:56:44] they will

[00:56:44] really have

[00:56:45] pictures of

[00:56:46] Hulkenberg

[00:56:47] and Magnussen

[00:56:47] stuck up on

[00:56:48] their walls

[00:56:49] and say,

[00:56:49] man,

[00:56:50] these drivers

[00:56:50] were the best

[00:56:51] for us.

[00:56:52] Because genuinely,

[00:56:53] I don't think

[00:56:53] anyone could have

[00:56:54] done a better job

[00:56:54] given the circumstances.

[00:56:56] Okay,

[00:56:56] it would have helped

[00:56:57] if Magnussen

[00:56:58] would have broken

[00:56:58] a few less

[00:56:59] front wings.

[00:57:00] But still,

[00:57:01] what an

[00:57:03] unbelievable

[00:57:03] partnership it's been.

[00:57:04] It would have

[00:57:05] helped even

[00:57:06] with all the

[00:57:07] penalty points

[00:57:07] that he racked up

[00:57:08] and the race

[00:57:09] ban as well.

[00:57:11] But one of the

[00:57:12] good things that

[00:57:13] Gunther Steiner did

[00:57:13] was bring these

[00:57:15] two drivers

[00:57:15] together

[00:57:18] before leaving

[00:57:19] Formula 1.

[00:57:19] And I also

[00:57:20] kind of realized

[00:57:21] that Nico Hulkenberg

[00:57:21] has scored in

[00:57:23] 12 different

[00:57:23] rounds this season

[00:57:24] and that's the

[00:57:25] most by a Haas

[00:57:26] driver in their

[00:57:27] history.

[00:57:28] Kevin Magnussen

[00:57:29] had done 11

[00:57:30] rounds back in

[00:57:31] 2018.

[00:57:32] But definitely

[00:57:33] going to miss

[00:57:35] the both of them

[00:57:36] going forward.

[00:57:38] Okay,

[00:57:39] so you're basically

[00:57:39] saying that because

[00:57:40] Hulkenberg's

[00:57:41] going to Sauber...

[00:57:41] Ah,

[00:57:42] okay.

[00:57:42] Together.

[00:57:44] There's a good

[00:57:44] chance we might

[00:57:45] miss Hulkenberg a

[00:57:46] lot if he's just

[00:57:47] an R-P19.

[00:57:50] But even for

[00:57:52] Sauber,

[00:57:53] I'm actually very

[00:57:53] excited to see

[00:57:54] because they have

[00:57:54] two good drivers.

[00:57:56] They have...

[00:57:56] I mean,

[00:57:57] Nico Hulkenberg has

[00:57:58] been one of the

[00:57:58] highlight drivers

[00:57:59] of the season,

[00:58:00] but they also have

[00:58:01] a Gabriel Bortoleto

[00:58:02] in the other seat.

[00:58:04] So,

[00:58:05] rookie champion

[00:58:06] in F3,

[00:58:06] rookie champion

[00:58:07] in F2.

[00:58:07] So,

[00:58:07] he's a very

[00:58:08] young and

[00:58:09] exciting talent.

[00:58:10] So,

[00:58:10] at least they

[00:58:10] have the

[00:58:11] driver base

[00:58:12] covered.

[00:58:13] Now,

[00:58:13] they only need

[00:58:13] to give them

[00:58:14] a good car

[00:58:15] that matches

[00:58:16] their potential.

[00:58:16] Kunal,

[00:58:17] a word on

[00:58:17] Kevin Magnuson.

[00:58:18] We've seen this

[00:58:19] guy grow so

[00:58:20] much,

[00:58:20] right?

[00:58:21] 2014,

[00:58:21] fresh-faced

[00:58:22] young driver

[00:58:24] coming in after

[00:58:25] becoming a champion

[00:58:25] in the lower

[00:58:26] formula.

[00:58:26] Everyone was

[00:58:27] excited.

[00:58:27] He was McLaren's

[00:58:28] next big thing

[00:58:29] and we all know

[00:58:30] how that worked

[00:58:31] out.

[00:58:31] Then there was

[00:58:32] the fiery side

[00:58:32] of him at

[00:58:33] Renault and

[00:58:34] then the anger

[00:58:35] and aggression

[00:58:35] he carried into

[00:58:36] Haas because

[00:58:36] he had a point

[00:58:37] to prove.

[00:58:37] Nobody believed

[00:58:38] in him at that

[00:58:39] point and

[00:58:39] then what

[00:58:40] he's done.

[00:58:41] Then him

[00:58:41] getting sacked

[00:58:42] for being too

[00:58:42] hot-headed,

[00:58:43] coming back

[00:58:44] after becoming

[00:58:44] a dad.

[00:58:45] I think it's

[00:58:46] amazing how we

[00:58:47] get to see a

[00:58:48] life go full

[00:58:48] circle just

[00:58:50] by being a

[00:58:50] Formula 1 fan.

[00:58:51] We've seen

[00:58:51] a person's

[00:58:52] story evolve

[00:58:52] so much in

[00:58:53] the last 10

[00:58:54] years and how

[00:58:54] incredible is it

[00:58:55] that we get

[00:58:56] to witness all

[00:58:56] of this?

[00:58:57] And the sheer

[00:58:58] honesty with

[00:58:59] which we get

[00:58:59] to witness this,

[00:59:00] I think that's

[00:59:01] also the

[00:59:01] beautiful part.

[00:59:02] You know,

[00:59:03] I think drivers

[00:59:04] who've left the

[00:59:05] sport and then

[00:59:05] have actually come

[00:59:06] back,

[00:59:07] come back

[00:59:08] with

[00:59:09] a better

[00:59:10] understanding of

[00:59:11] where the sport

[00:59:12] sits in their

[00:59:13] life, I think.

[00:59:14] When you're young

[00:59:15] and you just get

[00:59:16] a chance in the

[00:59:16] sport, you're

[00:59:17] just, you know,

[00:59:18] it's a bubble.

[00:59:19] I've been in it

[00:59:20] long enough to

[00:59:21] know it's a

[00:59:21] bubble and that

[00:59:22] bubble bursts

[00:59:23] at some point.

[00:59:24] And it's how

[00:59:25] you deal with

[00:59:25] that bubble

[00:59:26] bursting that

[00:59:28] really defines

[00:59:29] how healthy

[00:59:30] your relationship

[00:59:31] is with Formula

[00:59:33] One.

[00:59:33] And I think

[00:59:34] that's what

[00:59:34] stands out for

[00:59:35] Hulkenberg and

[00:59:36] for Magnussen

[00:59:37] both, that

[00:59:38] they are just

[00:59:39] in this space

[00:59:40] where they are

[00:59:41] content with

[00:59:42] what they can

[00:59:42] get from Formula

[00:59:43] One.

[00:59:43] They're enjoying

[00:59:44] it.

[00:59:44] They're there

[00:59:44] for racing

[00:59:45] cars.

[00:59:45] They know

[00:59:46] they'll never

[00:59:47] get a quickest

[00:59:47] car to win a

[00:59:48] championship,

[00:59:48] but they'll

[00:59:49] keep going

[00:59:49] thanking and

[00:59:50] all these

[00:59:51] midfield points

[00:59:52] which are

[00:59:52] crucial for

[00:59:53] the team,

[00:59:54] for the

[00:59:54] business.

[00:59:55] And just

[00:59:56] go and enjoy

[00:59:57] all the memories

[00:59:58] and see how

[00:59:59] long it lasts.

[01:00:00] It reminds me

[01:00:00] of the

[01:00:01] godfather or

[01:00:01] something.

[01:00:02] We are the

[01:00:02] professionals here.

[01:00:03] We don't do

[01:00:04] this for fun.

[01:00:04] We do this

[01:00:05] for a living.

[01:00:06] That kind of

[01:00:06] stuff.

[01:00:07] Okay, last

[01:00:08] couple of

[01:00:08] minutes in the

[01:00:09] episode.

[01:00:09] We are going

[01:00:10] long.

[01:00:11] It deserves

[01:00:11] to be the

[01:00:12] case.

[01:00:13] I believe

[01:00:14] more than we

[01:00:15] chat about

[01:00:16] Shoguan Yu,

[01:00:17] I think we

[01:00:18] should chat a

[01:00:19] little bit about

[01:00:19] Franco Colapinto.

[01:00:21] Is this the

[01:00:21] end of the

[01:00:22] road, guys?

[01:00:24] Okay, one

[01:00:24] question.

[01:00:25] Let's not put it

[01:00:26] this way.

[01:00:27] Sundaram, if

[01:00:28] you were

[01:00:28] Christian Horner,

[01:00:29] because he

[01:00:30] seems to be

[01:00:30] the only

[01:00:31] person who

[01:00:31] has a say

[01:00:31] on Franco

[01:00:32] Colapinto's

[01:00:32] future now,

[01:00:34] would you

[01:00:34] pick him up?

[01:00:35] No, I

[01:00:35] would pick

[01:00:36] Yuki Tsunoda

[01:00:37] first and

[01:00:38] then maybe

[01:00:38] a Liam Lawson

[01:00:39] and then

[01:00:40] think between

[01:00:40] Isaac Hajar

[01:00:41] or Franco

[01:00:42] Colapinto.

[01:00:43] So, Hajar

[01:00:44] or Colapinto,

[01:00:44] where are you

[01:00:45] going?

[01:00:45] I would go

[01:00:46] with Colapinto

[01:00:46] then.

[01:00:47] What about

[01:00:47] you,

[01:00:47] Kunal?

[01:00:47] I think I

[01:00:48] would give

[01:00:50] Tsunoda a

[01:00:50] chance.

[01:00:51] My concern

[01:00:52] with Tsunoda

[01:00:53] is, and

[01:00:54] you know,

[01:00:54] this is seemingly

[01:00:54] for the first

[01:00:55] time after

[01:00:56] retiring on the

[01:00:57] opening lap,

[01:00:57] Checo Perez

[01:00:58] admitted that

[01:00:59] he may not

[01:00:59] be there

[01:01:00] next year.

[01:01:01] He said,

[01:01:01] we've got an

[01:01:02] agreement and

[01:01:02] we've got to

[01:01:03] find a solution

[01:01:03] that works for

[01:01:04] everyone,

[01:01:04] which basically

[01:01:05] means the

[01:01:06] severance package

[01:01:07] that he would

[01:01:08] get for

[01:01:09] leaving Red Bull

[01:01:10] prematurely,

[01:01:11] etc., etc.

[01:01:12] But I think

[01:01:14] the big question

[01:01:15] on Yuki Tsunoda

[01:01:16] is how strong

[01:01:17] is he mentally

[01:01:18] or not to be

[01:01:20] alongside Max

[01:01:21] Verstappen in a

[01:01:21] front-running car.

[01:01:22] And, you know,

[01:01:23] on one end

[01:01:24] there is speed,

[01:01:25] but if you don't

[01:01:25] have the mental

[01:01:26] toughness to

[01:01:27] extract the

[01:01:27] speed,

[01:01:29] then would

[01:01:30] you choose a

[01:01:30] driver, say,

[01:01:31] like Liam Lawson,

[01:01:32] who's showing

[01:01:33] more mental

[01:01:33] strength, at

[01:01:34] least that's

[01:01:34] what the Red

[01:01:35] Bull team

[01:01:35] seems to be

[01:01:36] saying, and

[01:01:37] then give him

[01:01:37] more time to

[01:01:38] succeed.

[01:01:39] So it's

[01:01:40] interesting to

[01:01:40] see what they'll

[01:01:41] do.

[01:01:41] And I think

[01:01:41] Yuki largely

[01:01:42] getting all the

[01:01:44] attention from

[01:01:45] Red Bull is

[01:01:45] all down to

[01:01:46] Honda.

[01:01:46] Honda leaves

[01:01:47] at the end of

[01:01:47] next year.

[01:01:48] They become a

[01:01:49] VOLX team with

[01:01:50] Aston Martin.

[01:01:50] So lots of

[01:01:52] commercial

[01:01:53] considerations I

[01:01:54] think that Red

[01:01:55] Bull is going

[01:01:55] to have in

[01:01:56] letting go of

[01:01:56] Perez and

[01:01:57] then hiring

[01:01:57] the next

[01:01:58] driver.

[01:01:58] And I

[01:01:58] think a lot

[01:01:59] of Colap

[01:01:59] into interest

[01:01:59] is not just

[01:02:00] the speed

[01:02:01] and with

[01:02:01] which he

[01:02:02] settled in,

[01:02:02] but the

[01:02:03] ability to

[01:02:04] attract those

[01:02:05] big ticket

[01:02:07] from Argentina

[01:02:08] as well.

[01:02:09] So we

[01:02:10] should know

[01:02:11] in the coming

[01:02:12] week and we

[01:02:13] will definitely

[01:02:13] discuss this

[01:02:16] on the

[01:02:17] podcast.

[01:02:18] Yeah.

[01:02:20] This is the

[01:02:20] end for Franco

[01:02:21] though.

[01:02:21] He came in

[01:02:22] with a dream.

[01:02:23] He showed us

[01:02:24] all what he's

[01:02:25] capable of.

[01:02:26] And I think

[01:02:27] he should leave

[01:02:27] with his head

[01:02:28] held high.

[01:02:29] What he's

[01:02:29] achieved in

[01:02:30] these few

[01:02:30] races is

[01:02:31] incredible.

[01:02:32] Very quickly

[01:02:33] though, very

[01:02:34] quickly, we

[01:02:35] need to touch

[01:02:35] upon Vatribotas.

[01:02:36] And I don't

[01:02:37] think it's the

[01:02:37] end of us

[01:02:37] discussing

[01:02:38] Colapinto.

[01:02:39] We should

[01:02:39] talk about

[01:02:40] them more

[01:02:41] in depth

[01:02:41] when we

[01:02:41] do our

[01:02:42] post-season

[01:02:42] review episode.

[01:02:44] Joe Guanyu,

[01:02:45] probably we

[01:02:46] should have

[01:02:46] a word about

[01:02:46] that.

[01:02:47] I don't think

[01:02:47] we're just

[01:02:47] done with

[01:02:48] him yet.

[01:02:49] I'll tell

[01:02:49] you why.

[01:02:50] Graham

[01:02:50] Laudan,

[01:02:51] the new

[01:02:51] team

[01:02:51] principal of

[01:02:52] Cadillac,

[01:02:53] he's the

[01:02:54] same person

[01:02:54] who manages

[01:02:54] Joe Guanyu.

[01:02:56] First couple

[01:02:56] of years

[01:02:56] for a

[01:02:57] manufacturer

[01:02:57] are sort

[01:02:58] of

[01:02:58] inconsequential

[01:02:59] as we've

[01:02:59] seen Sauber

[01:03:00] do with

[01:03:01] Gabriel

[01:03:01] Bautleto.

[01:03:02] They don't

[01:03:02] need to worry

[01:03:03] much.

[01:03:03] They can just

[01:03:03] give a young

[01:03:04] driver a shot

[01:03:04] and be like,

[01:03:05] let's figure

[01:03:06] it out.

[01:03:06] And as

[01:03:06] Flavio Briatore

[01:03:07] said in

[01:03:07] Alpine,

[01:03:08] it doesn't

[01:03:09] matter who

[01:03:09] the driver

[01:03:09] is until

[01:03:10] the team

[01:03:10] reaches a

[01:03:11] certain

[01:03:11] stature.

[01:03:11] So I

[01:03:11] think Cadillac

[01:03:12] might just

[01:03:13] experiment with

[01:03:13] Joe.

[01:03:14] But Valtteri

[01:03:14] Bautas,

[01:03:15] let's not give

[01:03:16] him a proper

[01:03:16] farewell now.

[01:03:17] I think this

[01:03:17] guy deserves

[01:03:18] his own

[01:03:18] episode.

[01:03:19] But you

[01:03:19] have two

[01:03:19] fun stats

[01:03:20] about him,

[01:03:21] Sundaram.

[01:03:21] Yeah,

[01:03:22] this is

[01:03:22] something I

[01:03:22] actually sent

[01:03:23] out to

[01:03:23] the Sauber

[01:03:24] team as

[01:03:24] well,

[01:03:25] hoping that

[01:03:25] they would

[01:03:25] use it.

[01:03:27] But Valtteri

[01:03:27] Bautas is

[01:03:28] the only

[01:03:28] driver to

[01:03:30] be a part

[01:03:31] of every

[01:03:32] single Grand

[01:03:32] Prix in

[01:03:34] the hybrid

[01:03:35] era.

[01:03:35] He's entered

[01:03:36] every race

[01:03:37] in the last

[01:03:38] 10 years,

[01:03:39] although he

[01:03:40] did not

[01:03:41] start one

[01:03:41] race back

[01:03:42] in,

[01:03:43] was it

[01:03:44] Bahrain or

[01:03:45] Malaysia

[01:03:45] 2015?

[01:03:46] But he's

[01:03:47] been to all

[01:03:47] of the races.

[01:03:48] And the fact

[01:03:49] is if you

[01:03:49] look at all

[01:03:50] the podiums

[01:03:50] in the hybrid

[01:03:51] era, you

[01:03:51] have Lewis

[01:03:52] Hamilton

[01:03:52] up top,

[01:03:53] you have

[01:03:54] Max

[01:03:54] Verstappen

[01:03:55] in second

[01:03:55] and then

[01:03:56] sits in

[01:03:56] third,

[01:03:56] comfortably

[01:03:57] Valtteri

[01:03:58] Bautas 67

[01:03:59] ahead of

[01:04:00] Sebastian

[01:04:01] Vettel,

[01:04:01] ahead of

[01:04:01] Nico

[01:04:02] Rosberg and

[01:04:03] ahead of

[01:04:03] Shah Lekla.

[01:04:03] So he's

[01:04:04] going to be

[01:04:04] third on

[01:04:04] that list

[01:04:05] for a

[01:04:06] long,

[01:04:06] long time.

[01:04:06] Is that a

[01:04:07] good note

[01:04:07] to end

[01:04:07] on?

[01:04:08] We've

[01:04:08] gone one

[01:04:09] hour,

[01:04:09] four minutes

[01:04:09] in.

[01:04:10] I think

[01:04:10] we should

[01:04:10] give more

[01:04:11] time to

[01:04:11] Bautas and

[01:04:12] Joe in

[01:04:13] our review

[01:04:13] episode because

[01:04:14] there's a lot

[01:04:14] we want to

[01:04:15] talk about

[01:04:15] them, but

[01:04:16] there's our

[01:04:17] regularly to

[01:04:17] catch up

[01:04:18] with as

[01:04:18] well.

[01:04:19] And my

[01:04:19] parents will

[01:04:20] probably come

[01:04:20] and shouting

[01:04:21] saying,

[01:04:21] hey,

[01:04:22] dude,

[01:04:22] you have

[01:04:22] to do

[01:04:22] so-and-so

[01:04:29] Absolutely.

[01:04:30] Life in

[01:04:30] India, we've

[01:04:31] got an event

[01:04:31] to plan,

[01:04:32] 12th of

[01:04:32] January in

[01:04:33] Mumbai.

[01:04:34] More details

[01:04:34] on social

[01:04:35] media.

[01:04:36] Exactly.

[01:04:36] Stay tuned

[01:04:37] everyone.

[01:04:37] We all are

[01:04:38] finally in the

[01:04:38] same city at

[01:04:39] the same time.

[01:04:39] So it's an

[01:04:40] incredible

[01:04:40] scenario and

[01:04:41] we will bring

[01:04:41] a lot of

[01:04:42] fun Formula

[01:04:43] 1 content

[01:04:43] for you

[01:04:44] on ground

[01:04:45] and also

[01:04:46] virtually.

[01:04:47] But thank

[01:04:47] you for

[01:04:47] listening to

[01:04:48] all of

[01:04:48] this.

[01:04:49] There's

[01:04:49] another

[01:04:50] one-hour

[01:04:50] episode

[01:04:51] coming for

[01:04:51] you and

[01:04:52] then another

[01:04:52] one.

[01:04:53] We will

[01:04:53] keep on

[01:04:53] talking.

[01:04:54] The off-season

[01:04:54] is where we

[01:04:55] get to

[01:04:56] really yap

[01:04:57] a lot and

[01:04:58] we will

[01:04:58] use that

[01:04:59] opportunity

[01:04:59] fully.

[01:04:59] But this

[01:05:01] is not a

[01:05:01] sign-off to

[01:05:01] 2024 because

[01:05:02] we will

[01:05:03] still have

[01:05:03] more content,

[01:05:04] we will

[01:05:04] still have

[01:05:05] more episodes

[01:05:05] but for

[01:05:07] the racing

[01:05:07] season,

[01:05:08] thank you

[01:05:09] for following

[01:05:09] us all

[01:05:09] along.

[01:05:10] It's been

[01:05:10] such an

[01:05:11] incredible

[01:05:11] journey.

[01:05:11] So many

[01:05:12] of you

[01:05:12] have reached

[01:05:12] out,

[01:05:13] so many

[01:05:13] of you

[01:05:13] have shared

[01:05:14] your

[01:05:14] predictions,

[01:05:14] your

[01:05:15] thoughts,

[01:05:15] your

[01:05:15] opinions,

[01:05:16] your

[01:05:16] feelings

[01:05:16] and we

[01:05:17] love all

[01:05:18] of it.

[01:05:18] In this

[01:05:19] episode,

[01:05:19] we couldn't

[01:05:19] take a

[01:05:20] lot because

[01:05:20] we had

[01:05:20] to dissect

[01:05:21] so many

[01:05:21] things but

[01:05:22] keep sending

[01:05:23] them in.

[01:05:23] We want

[01:05:24] to know

[01:05:24] what you

[01:05:24] think of

[01:05:25] on the

[01:05:25] sport and

[01:05:25] we should

[01:05:26] hopefully

[01:05:27] include all

[01:05:27] of that in

[01:05:28] our Parody

[01:05:28] Awards episode

[01:05:29] coming up.

[01:05:30] Okay,

[01:05:30] now I see

[01:05:31] Kunal putting

[01:05:31] his hand on

[01:05:32] the sport head.

[01:05:32] It's time to

[01:05:33] end.

[01:05:33] Thank you

[01:05:34] guys.

[01:05:34] We'll see

[01:05:35] you in a

[01:05:35] bit.